MICHAEL HANSON
Journal
Just an attempt to get away from Instagram. Not sure if it will work.

11.4.25 Columbia Gorge
I had to trade 3 yogurt pretzels for this 4x5 film test. Shot at Skull Hollow Campground after a day at Smith Rock State Park.

11.3.25 Columbia Gorge
My neighbor, Ron, passed away a few years ago. He always wore a leopard skin patterned bathrobe at night. He let me make his portrait in the snow one evening. Shot on an old 4x5

11.2.25 Columbia Gorge
I think this was from Covid. I spent some time in a bar in Wishram, WA in search of some human connection. Met some nice folks who let me take their photo with an old 4x5.

11.1.25 Columbia Gorge
I've recently picked the 4x5 camera back up in an attempt to keep working on a collection of images from Oregon and beyond. I sent to the film to NY to get processed and waited a week or so for its return. 20+ years in this business and still had the same anxious feeling to see what the images look like. This was shot in 2023.

10.5.25 Timberline Trail
A world class trail winds its way around Mt. Hood. I can see it from my house and finally found 2 days to walk on it.

9.25.25 Washington
On July 18th, the Burdoin Fire ripped along the Columbia River burning over 40 homes and damaging many more. I spent a few weeks working on a story about fire, prevention and what's realistic for homeowners across the West. For The New York Times.

8.21.25 Oregon
Had the pleasure to work with the Oregon Department of Human Services on a recruiting campaign for at-home health care workers. It was a massive project - 22 models, 3 houses, photo + video - spread over 4 months. Enjoyed every minute of it. If you're in the Oregon area, look for the images on billboards, buses, grocery carts, etc.

8.1.25 Cortes Island, BC, Canada
My sister-in-law has a house on Desolation Sound. We don't always get the invite, but when we do, we drop everything to go. We always find cool things in the tide pools. For Patagonia.

7.23.25 Walla Walla, WA
After Luigi Mangione shot the CEO of UnitedHealth, she wrote a comment on NYT

6.24.25 Portland, OR
A fashion shoot for Wool & Prince. in Portland, OR

6.10.25 North Carolina
Back on the hog trail again. An inch thick layer of grease on the ceiling indicated the smokehouse didn't get cleaned. We spent a week in North Carolina for the USDA and our Feral Swine campaign. Wilbur's, an historic BBQ restaurant was a piece of our film and photo project.

5.7.25 Central Valley, CA
A project for Nestle on a milk dairy.

4.30.25 Deschutes National Forest. Bend, OR
The largest homeless sweep in the history of the US happened this past week just outside Bend, OR. For years, people have set up camps, created communities, and collected an unbelievable amount of trash. Advocates for these people argued, they have no other options. Others sited the dangers, risks and lawlessness that comes with having people illegally living in the forest. This was a favorite assignment of mine. Challenging access, working without other photographers nearby, and an important story and plenty of time. All elements of an assignment that I loved. Shot for The New York Times.

4.30.25 Columbia River
A 60+ year old treaty between Canada and the US is getting more attention as the Administration continues it's unprovoked fight with our northern neighbor. Water flows across borders and requires compromise and partnership. Hoping we can continue that relationship. Shot for The New York Times.

4.13.25 Northern Rockies, BC, Canada
Spent a week in the Northern Rockies with a burley group on the Icefall Traverse.

3.07.25 Mt. Hood, OR
A night on Mt. Hood for Patagonia

1.16.25 Palm Springs, CA
A project I thoroughly enjoyed. Shot in Palm Springs, CA

2.24.25 Mississippi
Shot a few years ago as part of our 7 year feral swine documentary project. We are finally starting to look back at all the footage and images from the last 7 years and figuring out the next steps. Loved every minute of this project.

11.13.24 Cascade Head, OR
Took some down time to run up Cascade Head. Got the full November Oregon coast conditions too. Shot for Patagonia.

11.12.24 Cascade Head, OR
I really like this wet plate image of Cascade Head, OR from my artist-in-residence.

11.11.24 Oregon Coast
I can't remember the last time I had a full day (or days) to work on a personal project. Lately, it's been go, get the work done, hurry home. This was quite different. Waking up and having only to make photos. I spent a few weeks on the Oregon coast for an artist-in-residency at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. Completed another chapter of my wet plate series, The Way West. This image is not part of the series though. This was on the drive home. Maybe I wanted to make one more image before the sun rose and back to the daily juggle of family and work.

9.28.24 Columbia River Gorge
I did some work for a local client advocating more inclusive infrastructure on the outdoor trails in the Columbia Gorge. Nice to see organizations working hard to promote a more inclusive trail network.

9.07.24 Wind River, OR
Beating the heat with our favorite Shangri-La.

8.06.24 Gulf Island, BC
Our favorite trip of the year. Biking with Reid in tow through the Gulf Island, BC. Nothing better.

8.05.24 Hood River, OR
Peak happiness right there. Retirement looks really nice. Watermelon and Coors Light.

8.04.24 Trout Lake, WA
They used to come from all over to harvest the ice in the middle of summer. We didn't take any ice and we didn't spend more than 5 min underground but we earned that hamburger and ice cream on the father-son camping trip.

7.14.24 Wind River Range, WY
We met our friend at the trailhead but he left at 2am with food poisoning. David and I wondered aloud for the first 5 miles what possibly could have happened and what we were doing flying to climb a mountain in WY when we have mountains all around us in the PNW. This was the first time I've had an ominous, bad feeling in the mountains. Neither of us were very excited about the summit so we turned around, spend the day up high in the alpine and tried to avoid the mosquitos. It was nice to avoid the news though our phones pinged quite aggressively once we got service. Trump had been grazed and the we knew the inevitable was on the horizon.

6.26.24 North Fork Flathead River, MT
My niece, Ada, either fixing her jacket or delaying bedtime. Shot for Patagonia.

5.19.24 North Fork John Day River, OR
We watched big horn sheep scatter across the hillside from our tent door while wearing Spiderman undies. That rare time in your life where you are completely happy.

5.16.24 Leavenworth, WA
My wife and I parked the van at a spot we used to camp often when we traveled to Leavenworth pre-kid to recreate. It was nice listening to the river roll on by but I think both of us would rather have had him along. Funny how places stay the same but we are completely different.

5.15.24 Portland, OR
I've found it wise to avoid the comment section of The New York Times on an article like this. People clamoring to defend the pets that do not have a say when donating blood at the Dove Lewis in Portland. Somehow ignoring the pets whose lives are saved from those dogs who donated blood. The whole fuckin' back and forth was mind-blowing. I should have just stuck with the good people / animals I met on this assignment who are doing good things for others.

4.15.24 Portland, OR
I was shocked at how many citations could be given on any given block in a major city. Shot for The New York Times.

4.04.24 Redding, CA
Spent a few days in Northern California with Bully Pulpit International for a commercial campaign with Working Forest Initiative. I don't know if I'll ever see the images in the real world. They are aimed at legislators and policymakers. I've often pitched clients that the real outlets we should be aiming for are the handful of powerful lobbyist and legislators. On a number of existential issues, I wonder if we have time for grassroots momentum to grow roots. I've definitely grown more skeptical.

3.14.24 Mt. Hood
It was windy as shit at the top of Mt. Hood and I didn't feel like making too many images. Going up the Old Chutes is one of the options to the top. Today, it was the best option. Not my favorite mountain to climb but really cool to look out the office window and see it.

2.15.24 Snow Day
I don't often use a handheld flash but have been experimenting with it lately. Seems like the batteries died quickly and the refresh rate sucked. I'm sure it was user-error. I see some other photographers who use it a lot and have often wondered what my images would look like if I added it. In this scene, I think it helps. Flat, sorta boring light wasn't working. Though not on camera, it does give a 1990s vibe of a pop up, on camera flash.

2.14.24 Redmond, OR
This was the 2nd assignment in the last few months where the subject was either reluctant to be photographed or really hard to track down. Hours late, unreturned calls and texts. Finally were able to meet up for a few minutes. A reality of photojournalism is having to make a portrait or two in an specific, often undesirable location, with a subject who does not want to spend a minute more with you. It was fine. Nothing award-winning. For The Guardian

1.17.24 Baja
Existing within a 4 mile radius. That's my favorite part of the annual sabbatical to Baja. That and letting Reid sit on my lap as he learns to drive on dirt roads in the 1996 baby blue Suburban without seatbelts. Outside of Atlanta, Virginia and Seattle, this is where I've spent the most time. First as a single photographer trying to figure out how to surf and navigate a professional freedom that brought happiness and anxiety to trips with girlfriends and broken down trucks with friends and now as a dad and husband just waiting for happy hour on the beach watching sand being moved from one hole to another.

1.2.24 Star Valley, WY
We've been working on a 2nd film about horse racing in Wyoming. It's a long story how this project came about but we started the year out in Star Valley, WY watching homemade chariots get pulled by young race horses. It was cold but always nice to be in a full on winter as opposed to this no man's land of 30s and rain in Hood River.

11.1.23 Polar Plunge
The plunge part wasn't that photogenic. Cold and shallow water led to a rather awkward entrance. Reid and his friend, Breton, were much more interesting to photograph.

11.27.23 Timberline Lodge
Portraits of Lisa for Haas, Harvard's Business School Magazine. Timberline Lodge is really cool. Heard there are some mice in the rooms but I'd still stay there.

11.24.23 Timberline Lodge
For the parent's Christmas card.

11.20.24 Vancouver, WA
Definitely the most challenging assignment in a while. I brought what film I had on hand - Portra 400 - and my Hasselblad. Thought I might be able to break the ice with a unique camera. It worked but the room was dark. I balanced the camera on the desk and hoped he stayed still long enough. I shot for 5 min. That would be only images I shot of Andrey for this entire assignment. Strange feeling turning in 2 photos of the main subject. For the New York Times.

10.13.23 Central Cascades
I got into a boxing match with a mouse the first night. He / she (I didn't get a good look at it) had eaten through the top of my tent. It fell on my which is probably the grossest part of the whole situation. Those little sick feet scampering over my sleeping bag. I got it out but it came back for more. As it crawled up the side of my tent, I punched it in the face. It came back 5 min later because the mouse is really stupid or brave and I was able to land a combo left and right on it sending it bouncing off the ropes (rainfly). The mouse probably thinks it won. I slept fine after I moved my tent to a new spot.

9.24.23 Deschutes River
He's potty trained but can't quite tell the difference between false alarms and the real deal. We've all been there. Luckily, the groover was on our boat. Reid's first river trip was as successful as I could have hoped. He slept through every rapid and screamed at every passing duck.

8.1.23 Columbia Center for the Arts
My series, The Way West, is on display at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River.

7.5.23 Lost Lake
The best place to escape on a hot day.

4.29.23 Deschutes River
His first night in a tent. I hope I don't forget this.

08.26.19 Mississippi
Years ago I went hog hunting with a few backwoods folks down in Florida. It was fuckin wild and I planned to pitch a magazine story to some outlet. I ended up contacting the USDA for a quote. They were looking to up their communications game and long story, we signed a multiyear contract to tell the story of feral swine in the US. So, here we are in Mississippi with some other backwoods hunters. Nothing better than early light, some redneck behavior and wild animals.
